(Marty passed away on April 13th, 2011, ten days before he would have been ten years old. I've modified the following text to relect that.)
What's a first time Curly owner going to say about a once in a lifetime dog. I am very lucky to have had a friend that gave me so much joy. Besides being a great companion, Marty was my service dog, a job he did with remarkable intuition. After he passed his temperament test we maede therapy visits to hospitals and nursing facilities; young patients as well as elderly seem to relish time with him.
Stephanie Doerr, his breeder, offered Marty to me on a co-owner basis because she wanted to finish his championship as a Bred By Exhibitor dog, which she did. Since my previous dog had recently passed and I live fairly close by, it probably made for fairly good logistics. I thought she was going to train him too, that's not how it works! I also just never expected to go to a dog show unless it was in my backyard. Stephanie has offered a lot of helpful suggestions as have many of our other friends in the Curly community. We traveled extensively throughout the U.S. and Canada for business, pleasure, and for dog events including dog shows. Never say never.
I was deeply into any thing that Marty and I could enjoy together, and anything that allowed him to express his character fully, what ever that meant. To me he was simply a beautiful being with all the grace and dignity anyone could have hoped for. His temperament was cheerful and friendly to all, though when he was younger he was sometimes a bit too robust for little people, as he occasionally knocked one down while turning around.
What's a first time Curly owner going to say about a once in a lifetime dog. I am very lucky to have had a friend that gave me so much joy. Besides being a great companion, Marty was my service dog, a job he did with remarkable intuition. After he passed his temperament test we maede therapy visits to hospitals and nursing facilities; young patients as well as elderly seem to relish time with him.
Stephanie Doerr, his breeder, offered Marty to me on a co-owner basis because she wanted to finish his championship as a Bred By Exhibitor dog, which she did. Since my previous dog had recently passed and I live fairly close by, it probably made for fairly good logistics. I thought she was going to train him too, that's not how it works! I also just never expected to go to a dog show unless it was in my backyard. Stephanie has offered a lot of helpful suggestions as have many of our other friends in the Curly community. We traveled extensively throughout the U.S. and Canada for business, pleasure, and for dog events including dog shows. Never say never.
I was deeply into any thing that Marty and I could enjoy together, and anything that allowed him to express his character fully, what ever that meant. To me he was simply a beautiful being with all the grace and dignity anyone could have hoped for. His temperament was cheerful and friendly to all, though when he was younger he was sometimes a bit too robust for little people, as he occasionally knocked one down while turning around.
Every year we join the family for a weekend at the ranch in the Sierra foothills. There are several hundred acres of grass, trees, boulders, springs, creeks, and oh yes, cattle. By the time we left Marty had run through streams, the mud, and rolled in foul stuff, so a bath was a must at the end. This may be my favorite place and was probably Marty's too. (Although PetSmart was probably up there close to the top of his favorites.)
Marty loved the field and water. We started him swimming at 8 weeks and he was very good at it. We didn't pass a practice site without a lot of excited vocalization. We practiced/trained when ever possible, though he chased bumpers almost every day. He had passed the WCQ two or three times, an AKC Junior Hunter (JH) has two legs on a NAHRA Started title (SR) and two legs on an Intermediate title (WR).
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Huge gratitute goes to Kathy Kail who was incredibly unselfish and patient helping us prepare for field testing. His biggest problem was clearly his handler/trainer, me.
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Huge gratitute goes to Kathy Kail who was incredibly unselfish and patient helping us prepare for field testing. His biggest problem was clearly his handler/trainer, me.
Marty's handling handicap extended to the Obedience ring. Despite lots of perfect practices there is always something more interesting than following me around the ring (nipping my butt on the fast off lead and visiting ring stewards seem favorites.). One good thing has come from our ring experiences, a judge asked why Marty wasn't still in the Conformation as a special. When he received an Award of Merit and very nice words from Judge Virginia Lyne at the 2005 National (Carol Quirk, a long time friend of Stef's, was his handler.) we decided perhaps we should get back to the conformation ring and go for it. That is, to the extend my limited budget and newbie brain can handle it. Marty's Specialty career lasted a year and we finished with an invitation to the Eukanuba Classic in Long Beach (2006)
Julie Jones was Marty's handler, and he loved her. Julie and her sister, Kathy, are a really good team and have a very positive spirit. We had a couple of group pulls including one at the Long Beach show which has a huge Sporting Group. Eariler he'd a Group 3 in BB, four Group 1 in Mexico, and a Group 4 in Canada. It was a worthwhile effort and we are enjoyed meeting a lot of nice people.
Julie Jones was Marty's handler, and he loved her. Julie and her sister, Kathy, are a really good team and have a very positive spirit. We had a couple of group pulls including one at the Long Beach show which has a huge Sporting Group. Eariler he'd a Group 3 in BB, four Group 1 in Mexico, and a Group 4 in Canada. It was a worthwhile effort and we are enjoyed meeting a lot of nice people.
This photo is here because Stephanie likes really good extension. We both spent a fair bit of time around horses and extension was desirable in race horses and jumpers, it looks good, and is a good sign the animal is well put together.
Getting Marty to do what you want was always interesting. If it was something he liked, no problem, he'll do it over until he drops, rest and be ready again in a few minutes. Marty really enjoyed water. Click to see more
After getting his second Obedience leg at the 2006 Specialty, he completed his CD at the 2007 Specialty in Racine, WS, which was the next Obedience event we entered. Marty placed first in class at both Specialties, although I think we were the only entry in Novice A in 2007. We will be working again obedience and field events through 2007 and 2008. The judges seem to enjoy the entertainment.
One final thought: The AKC breed description says Curlies are "wickedly intelligent," I thought that sounded cool. But I now know it means a Curly can find a way to break any rule without being wrong. Owning a Curly is an assurance your dog education isn't over.
Hamilton
October, 2007
The finish of Marty's show career was in Canada at the Hamilton KC. There were no points available on Thursday and Friday. Marty got what should be his final two points to finish on Saturday and Sunday, thanks to Pat Renshaw who brought along her hansome Drew (Ch Fairway Comic Relief), along with her good friend Cheryl to who handled Drew. Great support from Canadian friends that's really appreciated.
Photo by MK Morel